Is 2024 the year employers win the RTO war?
Four years out from the pandemic, the return-to-office (RTO) war rages on. Will 2024 be the year that we finally see a majority of workers RTO – with or without complaint – or will it be another year of back-and-forth from employers and employees?
A recent survey from TalenTrust found that on-site work is not a deal-breaker for many job-seekers anymore, even though they would still prefer more flexible work. That’s a large shift from previous years, showing that the pendulum may be swinging back to favor employers and employees aren’t as ready to jump ship as they once were.
Companies certainly don’t seem to be messing around, with some, such as Google, penalizing employees for not complying with RTO mandates. With companies cracking down, and employees loosening up, will this finally put an end to the years-long debate?
Companies putting their foot down
Eight in ten companies say they will track employee office attendance in 2024, according to a recent Resume Builder survey. Plus, nearly all (95%) of those companies say that employees will suffer consequences if they don’t comply with office mandates.
In the new year, nearly all companies surveyed (91%) are requiring employees to come into the office at least monthly, and three-quarters (75%) will have employees coming in weekly.
Employers say that they will be tracking office attendance via:
- Badge swipes (62%)
- Manually (50%)
- Wi-Fi (50%), and
- Occupancy sensors (43%).
And what happens if that tracked attendance doesn’t comply with what the company requires? Employers are prepared to dole out consequences, from reduced bonuses or salary to full-out termination.
But you don’t want to drag employees kicking and screaming back into the office, so how can employers and employees find a happy medium?
How you can avoid the RTO tug-of-war
The idea of employees not wanting to come into the office may have seemed far-fetched a few years ago, when most were used to fully in-office work, but the past few years have created a new normal for employees, and it can be hard to give that up.
Even though employers may have the upper hand now, eventually that pendulum will swing back. If you want to avoid that endless back-and-forth, here are a few things you can do to find a happy balance between employees and employers to end the RTO tug-of-war once and for all.
Be transparent. No matter what kind of work arrangements your organization has in 2024, it’s important to be transparent about them to avoid backlash from employees later on.
“After seeing many organizations walk back their remote work promises this year, candidates are likely to scrutinize work arrangements more closely, filtering out companies whose work arrangements do not align with their preferences and looking for clear information about short and long-term plans,” says Marissa Morrison, VP of People, ZipRecruiter.
It’s also important to be transparent about why you’re mandating in-office work. According to Resume Builder, companies are pushing RTOs because they believe it has a positive impact on productivity, improves culture, and betters employee satisfaction. No matter the reason, be sure to communicate that with employees when implementing an RTO mandate.
Incentivize the return in a meaningful way. Nine in ten companies will provide incentives to employees returning to the office, according to Resume Builder, but many are providing surface-level incentives such as happy hours and catered meals.
“Companies need to provide RTO incentives, but happy hours aren’t it,” Julia Toothacre, Resume Builder’s resume and career strategist said in a company blog post.
Instead, consider why employees are pushing back on a return to office and provide incentives around that. “Working from home saves money on food, gas, car maintenance, and clothing and gives people time back in their day without a commute,” says Toothacre. “Catered meals are a good start, but compensation for commuting, child care, pet care, clothing, and such would go much further for people.”
Stay flexible. Many companies are implementing strict policies due to employee pushback, but it’s important to not be too rigid in your mandates, and instead create an RTO plan that addresses workforce needs and offers flexibility for those who need it.
“Some people are caregivers to family members, they have a physical disability that makes the office uncomfortable, or there are mental health considerations that are improved when they can be in a familiar space, among others,” says Toothacre. “Companies that become too rigid in their policies will end up losing employees in the long term.”
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